Over the weekend my wife's cats were staying with me as she was away. My own cat usually doesn't interfere with my LEGO building, she just comes there to hang out on the table. But my wife's vats are different. Especially the other one was constantly trying to play with the pieces I had laid on the table so I had to keep an eye on her not to lose any bricks.
Eventually she was able to sneak in and drop one of the minifigs to the ground, instantly jumping after it to chase it down. As soon as I realized what has happened I yelled "hey, it's not a toy". As soon as those words had left my mouth I then realized that it is in fact a toy, although not one for the cats.
Yes, they are toys, but I believe toys in general are the most popular collectible items in the world. They might not be for playing, but they still cater our inner child. On the other hand I wouldn't mind if a child would want to play with my precious collection. That's what they are meant and it would be nice if they could get a nice core memory from it. Just like I did back when I was kid.
Sure, there are a few sets that I want to keep safe and in pristine conditions, but the rest are used and old anyway. Save for the few rare pieces I could always easily replace the lost ones. And if needed, I can always rebuild the sets. That's the fun part for me anyway.